A mission comes up that requires both crucibles. The Board of Directors have decided to give Crucible Alpha team one last chance. Jack Tilton himself comes to orient them on the mission and permits them to use "ghost items" which they have been able to gather trhough a strange black box they found abandoned in a haunted Pentex building. With Dennison's team providing back-up, the crucible makes contact with the ghost of Kelly Michaels. Long a mole for Orpheus on Terrel and Squibb, the spirit panics upon seeing the crucible, recalling the events that lead to her demise in the black-ops mission. When a spectre suddenly appears and assaults the group, Michaels and an unidentified Haunter makes their escape while the group deals with the spook. The crucible successfully discorporates the thing and learns that Michaels has made contact with the senior team and is enroute. The mission was a success.

An announcement is shared of a major contract having been won by Orpheus, one said to be financially enough to turn Orpheus' single headquarters into one of a multi-national industry. a major celebration was to be held at the end of the week to celebrate the accomplishment... but the celebration was never to truly come to pass. While the rest of the crucible enjoys the extended Beach period they have been given for successfully handling the mission, Vincent with Chet Mason and Hoyt Masterson take the opportunity to break into the Orpheus datafiles and learn more of what the company has been keeping secret. John Carruthers joins them and teases them of their breaking and entering. The computer fails to have any pernitent information, but the filing cabinets reveal one strange entry: Project Flatline with the undertitle "Marion Federal Penitentiary". Before any of them could read it though, a muffled explosion rocks the place as the lights flicker in the building. Hoyt, John, Chet and Vincent discover that Orpheus is under attack!

The rest of the crucible watch in horror as news on television report that the Orpheus building is burning and that the sounds of gunfire and explosions are audible within.